[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 23 (Monday, June 9, 2003)]
[Pages 703-704]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

May 31, 2003

    Good morning. This weekend I am beginning a journey to Europe and 
the Middle East. My first stop is Poland, the home of a proud people who 
have known both the horror of tyranny and the hope of liberty.
    On a visit to Warsaw 2 years ago, I affirmed our Nation's commitment 
to a united Europe, bound to America by close ties of history, commerce, 
and friendship. Today, we are striving for a world in which men and 
women can live in freedom and peace instead of in fear and chaos, and 
every civilized nation has a stake in the outcome.
    Poland and America are proud members of NATO, and our military 
Alliance must be prepared to meet the challenges of our time.

[[Page 704]]

Our common security requires European Governments to invest in modern 
military capabilities so our forces can move quickly with a precision 
that can strike the guilty and spare the innocent.
    NATO must show resolve and foresight to act beyond Europe, and it 
has begun to do so. NATO has agreed to lead security forces in 
Afghanistan and to support Polish allies in Iraq. A strong NATO 
Alliance, with a broad vision of its role, will serve our security and 
the cause of peace.
    In the last 20 months, the world has seen the determination of our 
Nation and many others to fight the forces of terror. Yet armed force is 
always a last resort, and Americans know that terrorism is not defeated 
by military power alone. We believe that the ultimate answer to hatred 
is hope. The ideology of terror takes hold in an atmosphere of 
resentment and despair, so we help men and women around the world to 
build lives of purpose and dignity.
    In Africa and elsewhere, America is committed to a comprehensive, 
$15-billion effort to prevent and treat AIDS and provide humane care for 
its victims. I urge our partners in Europe to make a similar commitment, 
so we can work together in turning the tide against AIDS in Africa. My 
administration has proposed an emergency famine fund, so we can rush 
help to countries where the first signs of famine appear. The nations of 
Europe can greatly help in this effort with emergency funds of their 
own. I urge European Governments to reconsider policies that discourage 
African farmers from using safe biotechnology to feed their own people.
    I have also proposed a 50-percent increase in America's core 
development assistance to help spur economic growth and alleviate 
poverty. This aid will go where it will do the most good, not to corrupt 
elites but to nations with leaders that respect the rule of law, invest 
in the health and education of their people, and encourage economic 
freedom. If European Governments will adopt these same standards, we can 
work side by side in providing the kind of development aid that helps 
transform entire societies.
    America and Europe are called to advance the cause of freedom and 
peace. Next week in the Middle East, I will meet with the Palestinian 
and Israeli Prime Ministers and other leaders in the region. The work 
ahead will require difficult decisions and leadership, but there is no 
other choice. No leader of conscience can accept more months and years 
of humiliation and killing and mourning. For peace to prevail, terrorism 
must end. All concerned must shake off the old arguments and the old 
ways and act in the cause of peace. And I will do all I can to help the 
parties reach an agreement and to see that agreement is enforced.
    This is America's agenda in the world. From the defeat of terror to 
the alleviation of disease and hunger to the spread of human liberty, we 
welcome and we need the help, advice, and wisdom of friends and allies. 
When Europe and America are united, no problem and no enemy can stand 
against us.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 4:05 p.m. on May 29 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m., eastern daylight 
time, on May 31. Due to the 6-hour time difference, the radio address 
was broadcast after the completion of all other Presidential remarks for 
May 31. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on May 30 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. 
In his remarks, the President referred to Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas 
(Abu Mazen) of the Palestinian Authority; and Prime Minister Ariel 
Sharon of Israel. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a 
Spanish language transcript of this address.